South Sudan: Over 6 Million in Need, 250,000 children Facing acute Malnutrition as warlords wreak Havoc

Some 6.1 million people in South Sudan are in need of humanitarian assistance, with a quarter of a million children facing severe and acute malnutrition, the United Nations said.

“Forced displacement remains a defining feature of the crisis, with some 1.6 million people internally displaced, and more than 900,000 having fled to neighboring countries, including more than 60,000 who fled to Uganda in July alone,” Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien said in an e-mailed statement late Wednesday.

A transitional government formed by President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival Riek Machar in April to end fighting that began in December 2013 has been thrown into turmoil by renewed violence between forces loyal to the two men. The violence has claimed at least 270 lives since early July. Aid workers have reached more than 2.8 million people with assistance and protection.

“The humanitarian response plan for 2016 is only 40 percent funded, leaving a gap of $765 million. More funding is urgently required for the scale-up of the response across the country,” O’Brien said.

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